September 7, 2011

13 persons were killed and more than 70 others were injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) kept inside a briefcase exploded near a queue of peopl outside Delhi High Court on Wednesday during morning rush hour.

The blast took place at around 10.15 am.

The explosives were placed in a briefcase at the high court reception where hundreds of people come through every day to attend court cases. At the time of explosion around 200 people, mostly litigants were present at the gate in a que to get their passes made to enter the court. There were several lawyers also present at the site.

A mail purportedly written by Bangladesh-based terror outfit Harkat-ul-Jehadi Islami(HuJI) was sent to some media houses claiming responsibility and claimed the explosion was carried out to demand repeal of death sentence of Afzal Guru, a condemned prisoner in Parliament attack.

Delhi Police have released sketches of two people suspected of planting the bomb in a suitcase outside the court.

Preliminary probe indicated possible use of nitrate-based explosives laced with PETN. PETN, short for pentaerythritol trinitrate, is a chemical explosive that has a long history of terrorist use.

The investigation for the blast will be done by National Investigation Agency(NIA)

Home minister P Chidambaram said the blast was of "high intensity" and called it a "terrorist attack".

The injured were taken to AIIMS, RML and Safdarjung hospitals. \

The Delhi Police cordoned off the area, not far from Parliament and the Prime Minister's Office. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot.

The blast was the second explosion at the high court this year. On May 25, a small explosion that appeared to be a failed car bomb hit the court parking lot.

A high alert in Delhi had been sounded and security tightened at public places.